Your calling card has the potential to make or break business deals – so get the design right with these “golden rules…”

Of all the marketing collateral pieces at your disposal, a custom business card is one of the most effective ways to leave a lasting memory in the minds of potential clients. A cleverly crafted card will not only sum up your services and skills, it’ll also serve as a reminder of a face-to-face meeting and provide that personal touch so often lacking from digital communication.

Services like MOO and Vistaprint are excellent for cheap, short runs, while services like Republic Design Company prides itself on custom printed business cards that exude class. So what are the components to a beautifully designed and produced business card? Read on…

WHO AM I?
Make your name clear, as well as what you do. The purpose of your business card is to leave a lasting impression of quality, class, and trust: it doesn’t matter how many intricate creative elements you incorporate – if the design consists of your name in six-point type with a mix of caps and lower case, and the tag-line: “Master of all creative solutions in the media ecosystem,” it’s of no use to anyone.

LOSE THE “BLING”
Use gimmicks sparingly. In general, complicated cut-outs, the use of unusual materials, fold-up models and so-on are best left for mail-outs and other marketing collateral. Think about your message: will using silver ink really help communicate what you do? DO NOT FOLLOW A TREND JUST BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE IS! Carefully consider each and every design element, and ensure it adds real value to your message.

YOU CAN REACH ME ON…
It sounds obvious, but make sure you include every way in which you want people to contact you. These should, ideally, include a phone number, email address and website – don’t just throw on your twitter feed and hope people will track you down. Also (of course), make sure you regularly check those points of contacts. Tardy replies don’t install confidence in prospective clients.

KEEP IT CLEAN
Your choices of typeface are critical for giving out the right message about your company, so think carefully. You generally only need two typefaces, (if that). A common error is to use too small a point size – if this seems to be happening then your probably trying to cram too much information onto the card. Keep that data for your website, blog, twitter, newsletter, and so-on.

MAKE ROOM
Don’t clutter your business card design. you need to make sure your message speaks loudly and clearly to your recipient. One pro tip is to leave at least a modicum of clear space for people to scribble on by hand. Business cards are used as ad-hoc note-taking devices all the time, particularly during those all-important first meetings or networking events. You want to give people every chance to look twice at your card.

MATCH THE CLIENT
Depending on your client spread and whether you regularly attend industry events, exhibitions, and so-on, consider having two different sets of cards: one more traditionally plain; and perhaps one showing more experimentation. You can then match the type of card to the type of client your likely to be meeting.

QUALITY CONTROL
Without getting too Patrick Bateman (of American Psycho fame about it all, ensure you use a decent quality of card stock (or whatever other medium you’ve settled on). Talk to your printer about the different techniques and materials available, and discuss what minimum weight you’re likely to be able to get away with before the price starts ramping up considerably. Any decent printer will happily help.

PORTABLE MEDIA
Business cards don’t necessarily have to be business card-sized (3.5×2 inches), but try to keep them small enough to tuck into pockets, at least. As a rule, unless your card has a dual function (doubling up as a cool bookmark, for example), if it doesn’t fit into a wallet then it will more than likely end up in the trash…

DON’T FORGET THE BACK
The most successful cards are the ones that are memorable, so once you’ve followed the golden design rules here, it’s time to think about added impact. The back of a business card offers a fantastic canvas to make your card stand out from the rest, so think about how you can use it in a way that’s relevant to your services or of use to the recipient. It could be a place for tips or loyalty stamps, or to provide an insight into your style, for instance.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST
Custom Business Cards can be designed and produced in a variety of shapes, sizes, quantities, etc. However, we’ve put together a simple and popular assortment of frequently purchased business cards for our existing and perspective client-base. The following selection of business cards are printed and produced on Full Color, 16 Point Card Stock, UV Gloss and/or Flat Matt, Front + Back:

“A DAY IN THE LIFE OF…” is a mini documentary profiling Republic Design Company and it’s Principal, (me), “Rafael_Republic.”

With the help of Javier Ordoñez and Jonathan (“Johnny Savage“) Avila of Basic Space Studio; the dynamic duo filmed and edited this mini documentary and helped Republic Design Company bring this project to fruition.

Now-a-days, having a website isn’t enough. The power of video across thee Internet is rapidly becoming a formidable tool that all businesses should employ if having a web presence is vital to a company’s viability. The SEO (Search Engine Optimization) opportunities and capabilities of having a video profiling a (your) company is near astronomical.

With this in-mind, the problem we posed ourselves was, “how do we show existing and perspective clients what Republic Design Company does.” Moreover, “how can Republic Design Company demonstrate ‘graphic design’ in a relatable, tangible light to a perspective viewer?” The seemingly easy solution actually turned-out to be more difficult than anticipated. The reason being is that there are lots of ways to answer these “problems.” The answer we selected was to employ an honest/natural approach by being casual and informative of “Republic Design Company’s day-to-day operations…” The result is the video you see before you…

Please view, share with your audience, and contact us for opportunities to collaborate on mutually beneficial projects.

“We thank you for your attention, and not to mention, your love and affection…”

Senior Officers Charles Woodruff and Daniel Shrubb of the Oxnard Police Department created DRAGG, (Drag Racing Against Gangs and Graffiti). DRAGG is a hot new program here in the city of Oxnard where officers along with people from the automotive industry, help reach out to the youth of today. DRAGG provides a viable alternative in the automotive industry and helps guide and mentor our youth. DRAGG’s goal is to reach out to high-school Juniors and Seniors through after-school programs, field trips and special events. It’s a new spin on an old idea, “keep the youth focused on the future,” with trained and experienced individuals in the automotive industry and in-partnership with the Oxnard Police Department.

The design of these business cards was pretty straight-forward. (Just as the photo/digital proof denotes), the back of the business card has their program’s staple Mustang featured “center-stage,” along with the official DRAGG logo + Oxnard Police Department badge intermittent as the back-drop. Featured below Mustang is their motto/tag-line: “When Kids have better things to do they tend to do better things.”

DRAGG Oxnard Police Business Card Digital Proof

Three sets of business cards were created. One for each police officer, and one for general information. Contact information and social media icons were placed accordingly including the DRAGG logo in the upper-left-hand corner and Oxnard Police Department “badge” as a water-mark.

The principals of the Q Club Oxnard commissioned REPUBLIC Design Company for the design, implementation and production of not just another business card; but a carefully-crafted/multi-faceted marketing piece…

Q Club Oxnard Business Card Marketing Tool Photo

First, a little background…

The Q Club Oxnard is a full-service billiards, bar-and-grill, sports lounge, that has been a staple in Oxnard and the Ventura County area for many, many years. To best exemplify Q Club Oxnard and capture it’s “essence,” one can-NO! -One must draw the comparison between it, and the hit 80’s T.V. sit-com, “CHEERS” (featuring Ted Danza, Kristie Alley, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammer [to name a few] and various other beloved actors/characters). Q Club Oxnard, just like “CHEERS” magically capture an essence and camaraderie that was (then) and is (now) best summed-up by the now-infamous quote:

“where everybody knows your name…”

Simply-put, The Q Club Oxnard is, “home.” A friendly place where ALL are welcome to catch their favorite game on TV, have a drink, play a little bit of pool/billiards. Heck, Q Club Oxnard even comes fully equipped with their very own “Norm (played by then actor George Wendt)!” You have to visit and experience it for yourself…

Q Club Oxnard Business Card Marketing Tool digital proof front

Republic Design Company was called upon to strategize, delineate, and stream-line Q Club Oxnard’s core competencies into the 8 following categories:

Instead of creating individual/personalized business cards for each employee of the Q club Oxnard; we designed the marketing collateral piece in such a way that not only can existing and perspective employees of the Q Club Oxnard could write their names onto, but key friends-and-family of the Q Club Oxnard (or whomever management would like to grant access to) can “write their name” directly to the left of “says…” with a pen or Sharpie…

“The Q is for YOU!”

Q Club Oxnard Business Card Marketing Tool digital proof back

The back of this marketing collateral piece is designed with the objective of increasing the Q Club Oxnard’s email database with the allure of not only a 25% discount off your next purchase*, but the ongoing inclusion of special offers that are going to be made available exclusively to email database subscribers!

“Come In” | “Make New Friends” | “Have Fun”

*Offer expires 45 days from (__/__/__) | *Fill-out this business card, submit to cashier at time of purchase, recieve 25% OFF your bill | *Limit one per person/per purchase. Certain exclusions may apply. See management for details

*This special offer can NOT be duplicated or replicated off this or any website.